German Cross




This article is about the military decoration. For the symbol of the German armed forces, see Iron Cross.









































German Cross
Deutsches Kreuz

DeutschesKreuzinGold.jpgGermanCrossInSilver.jpg
German Cross in Gold (left) and Silver (right)

Awarded by Nazi Germany

Type Order
Eligibility Military personnel
Awarded for The Gold division was awarded to military personnel for 6–8 exceptional acts of bravery or achievements in combat. Silver division was awarded for distinguished acts of service in war effort.
Campaign(s) World War II
Status Obsolete
Statistics
Established 28 September 1941
Total awarded ~26,000 in Gold
~ 2,500 in Silver
Precedence
Next (lower)
Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class
Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class
War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords

DK Übersicht.JPG
German Cross in Silver, Gold, and with Diamonds. Post-war de-nazified versions below.

The German Cross (German: Deutsches Kreuz) was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: gold for repeated acts of bravery or achievement in combat; and silver for distinguished non-combat war service. The German Cross in Gold ranked higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, while the German Cross in Silver ranked higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords.




Contents






  • 1 Divisions


  • 2 Appearance


    • 2.1 1957 version




  • 3 Recipients


    • 3.1 Foreign recipients




  • 4 Nicknames


  • 5 References





Divisions


The German Cross was issued in two versions: gold and silver (the color of the laurel wreath around the swastika), the former being an award for repeated acts of bravery or repeated outstanding achievements in combat, the latter being for multiple distinguished services in war efforts and was considered a continuation of the War Merit Cross with swords.


Article three of the law governing the German Cross states that a prerequisite for the presentation of the German Cross in Gold or Silver is the ownership of the Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class or Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class, or the War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords.[1]



Appearance


The order consists of a star badge, containing a swastika (in German, Hakenkreuz, "hooked cross", which gives the award its name, the "German cross"). It had a diameter of 6.5 cm and was worn on the right-hand side of the tunic. If a recipient had been awarded both the silver and gold divisions, the gold division should be worn only.




German Cross in Gold (cloth form)


Only the gold version of the award was officially available in cloth form, which was made for easier wear on the combat uniform; General Helmuth Weidling wore this variety during his defense of Berlin in April–May 1945. Far more awards in gold (combat) were presented than in silver (support).


Specimen copies of a special grade, the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds, was manufactured in 1942 but this grade was never instituted or bestowed.



1957 version


In 1957 alternative de-nazified replacement versions of the German Cross were authorized for wear by the Federal Republic of Germany. This replaced the swastika with a representation of the Iron Cross for the gold division, and the War Merit Cross with Swords for the silver division. Wearing Nazi-era decorations was banned in Germany after the war, as was any display of the swastika. The 1957 replacement of the World War II decorations consequently enabled recipients to wear the German Cross again but only in the new version of the insignia.



Recipients


Select recipients of both grades included:



  • SS-Gruppenführer and Lieutenant General of the Police Odilo Globocnik GCiG 07.02.1945 & GCiS 20.01.1945,

  • Major General Ernst Merk GCiG 11.02.1944 & GCiS 06.07.1942,

  • SS-Standartenführer and Colonel of the Police Walther Rauff GCiG 07.02.1945 & GCiS 20.05.1943,

  • General Felix Schwalbe GCiG 07.12.1944 & GCiS 30.10.1943,

  • Lieutenant General Bodo Zimmermann GCiG 25.09.1944 & GCiS 15.02.1943.

  • SS-Hauptsturmführer Alfred-Ingemar Berndt GCiG 17 July 1943

  • SS-Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Mohnke GCiG 26 December 1941

  • SS-Obersturmbannführer Fritz Knoechlein GCiG 15 Nov 1942

  • Generalleutnant Walter Krupinski GCiG 27 Aug 1942



Foreign recipients


Select foreign recipients of the German Cross in Gold included:


Belgium

  • Standartenführer Léon Degrelle

Croatia


  • Lieutenant Cvitan Galić

  • 1st Lieutenant Mato Dukovac


Estonia

  • Senior Lieutenant Hando Ruus 30.12.1944

Finland


  • General Erik Heinrichs 17.08.1943

  • Lieutenant General Jarl Lundqvist 09.11.1943

  • Lieutenant General Karl Lennart Oesch 05.08.1944,


Italy


  • Vice Admiral Luigi Sansonetti 18.01.1942

  • Marshal Ettore Bastico 05.12.1942

  • Colonel General Rino Corso Fougier 18.01.1943


Latvia


  • Untersturmführer Kārlis Mūsiņš

  • Standartenführer Vilis Janums


Romania


  • General Gheorghe Avramescu 25.10.1942

  • Major General Leonard Mociulschi 25.10.1942

  • Major General Ermil Gheorghiu 11.02.1943

  • Captain Nicolae Dabija 10.02.1944


Spain

  • Major General Emilio Estéban Infantes y Martín 09.04.1943

Some 26 non-German volunteers of the Waffen-SS from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands and Norway received the German Cross in Gold.



Nicknames


Colonel Hans von Luck called it "Hitler's fried egg", in response to its gaudiness.



References


Citations




  1. ^ "Reichsgesetzblatt Teil I S. 593; 2 October 1941" (PDF). ALEX Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (in German). Reichsministerium des Inneren (Ministry of the Interior). Retrieved 19 August 2014..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}



Bibliography

.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{list-style-type:none;margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>dl>dd{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-100{font-size:100%}



  • For Führer And Fatherland: Military Awards of the Third Reich by LTC John R. Angolia. 1976 R. James Bender Publishing.
    ISBN 0-912138-14-9

  • "The German Cross in Gold and Silver" by Dietrich Maerz, B&D Publishing LLC, Richmond, MI, 2009,
    ISBN 978-0-9797969-2-0

  • "Panzer Commander" by Hans Von Luck, Praeger Publishers, New York, NY, 1989,
    ISBN 0-440-20802-5












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